Lila King – CNN.com

Posted on 11. Oct, 2007 by in Uncategorized

Your work in networked/citizen/collaborative journalism.
I lead the small group that focuses on user participation efforts on CNN.com. That includes CNNs new and very successful I-Report initiative, the reader commenting modules on CNN.com story pages and a handful of collaboratively produced blogs.

What are your goals?
Our goal is to be the place people go when they’ve got a story to share or talk about.

What are some of your notable achievements?
I’m very proud of my work in launching I-Report at CNN.com and seeing it through its first year. I also produced several of the online interactive maps that helped to distinguish CNN’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

Please share a lesson you’ve learned (including mistakes you’ve made)
In the 14 months since I-Report launched, I’ve learned over and over again that my idea of what qualifies as ‘news’ doesn’t necessarily match what’s on the minds of CNN.com’s community of users. I never dreamed I-Report would have it’s biggest day in 2006 with hundreds of heartfelt photo and video tributes to ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin. But we did, and the site’s story was better for it.

Are you getting revenue for this? How?
Yes! Most CNN.com pages, including the ones with I-Report content, include paid advertisements.

What’s next? What do you need to get to the next level?
We’ve got to find ways to highlight and use more of the great stories, photos and videos that people contribute to I-Report. What you see on the site and on CNN TV networks is just a fraction of what’s possible.

Anyone you’d like to talk with, learn from, or work with at the summit
I’d love to talk with folks from Topix, NowPublic, outside.in and LJ World.

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